Power converter module

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes a substrate, a switching device, a capacitor device, a first via, a second via, a third via and a fourth via. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface and includes a plurality of copper layers including M positive copper layers and N negative copper layers. The M positive copper layers and the N negative copper layers are alternated. The switching device is disposed on the first surface and includes a switching positive terminal and a switching negative terminal. The capacitor device is disposed on the first surface and includes a capacitor positive terminal and a capacitor negative terminal, and the capacitor device forms a capacitor area. The projections of the adjacent positive and negative copper layers and the capacitor area on the first surface at least partially overlap with each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/147,219 filed on Jan. 12, 2021 and entitled“POWER CONVERTER MODULE”, which claims priorities to China PatentApplication No. 202011164463.3, filed on Oct. 27, 2020 and China PatentApplication No. 202011239669.8, filed on Nov. 9, 2020. The entireties ofthe above-mentioned patent applications are incorporated herein byreference for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a power converter module, and moreparticularly to a power converter module with a plurality of positivecopper layers and a plurality of negative copper layers staggered.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the rapid development of technologies such as mobile communicationsand cloud computing, high-power power converter modules have been widelyused in electronic products. Due to the trend of high power andminiaturization of electronic products, how to improve the conversionefficiency of the power converter module and reduce the size of thepower converter module is the primary consideration.

As the output power of the existing power converter module increases,the large current in the power converter module causes more and morelosses in the corresponding current loop and flow path, and theproportion of this loss in the total loss of the power converter modulealso increases. In order to reduce the loss on the transmission path,multiple copper layer wirings in the multilayer printed circuit boardare often connected in parallel to reduce the equivalent impedance ofthe flow path. However, due to the existence of parasitic parametersbetween multiple copper layers and the AC loop in the power convertermodule. This increases the AC loss of the AC current in thecorresponding AC circuit, thereby reducing the conversion efficiency ofthe power conversion module.

Therefore, there is a need of providing a power converter module toobviate the drawbacks encountered from the prior arts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an apparatus. Bystaggering a plurality of positive copper layers and a plurality ofnegative copper layers, and the positive copper layers and the pluralityof negative copper layers are electrically connected to thecorresponding switching positive and negative terminals, the capacitorpositive and negative terminals, and a plurality of vias respectively.The projections of the adjacent positive and negative copper layers andcapacitor area on the first surface partially overlap with each other,thereby reducing the parasitic inductance of the wiring and reducing theparasitic loss. Therefore, the conversion efficiency of the powerconversion apparatus is improved.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided an apparatus. The apparatus includes a substrate, at least oneswitching device, at least one capacitor device, at least one first via,at least one second via, at least one third via and at least one fourthvia. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface, the firstsurface and the second surface are opposite, the substrate includes aplurality of copper layers, the plurality of copper layers includes Mpositive copper layers and N negative copper layers, and the M positivecopper layers and the N negative copper layers are alternated, wherein Mis equal to or greater than one, N is equal to or greater than one, andthe sum of M and N is equal to or greater than three. The switchingdevice is disposed on the first surface of the substrate and includes aswitching positive terminal and a switching negative terminal. Thecapacitor device is disposed on the first surface of the substrate andincludes a capacitor positive terminal and a capacitor negativeterminal, and the at least one capacitor device forms a capacitor area.The first via is electrically connected to the switching positiveterminal, the second via is electrically connected to the switchingnegative terminal, the third via is electrically connected to thecapacitor positive terminal, and the fourth via is electricallyconnected to the capacitor negative terminal. The positive copper layersare electrically connected to the first via and the third via, and thenegative copper layers are electrically connected to the second via andthe fourth via. A dielectric layer is disposed between the two adjacentcopper layers. The projections of the adjacent positive and negativecopper layers and capacitor area on the first surface at least partiallyoverlap with each other.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a manufacturing method of an apparatus. The manufacturingmethod of an apparatus comprises steps: providing a substrate having afirst surface and a second surface opposite to each other, wherein thesubstrate comprises a plurality of copper layers, the plurality ofcopper layers comprises M positive copper layers and N negative copperlayers, and the positive copper layers and the negative copper layersare alternated, wherein M is equal to or greater than one, N is equal toor greater than one, and the sum of M and N is equal to or greater thanthree; providing at least one switching device disposed on the firstsurface of the substrate, wherein the switching device comprises aswitching positive terminal and a switching negative terminal; providingat least one capacitor assembly disposed on the first surface of thesubstrate, wherein the capacitor assembly comprises a capacitor positiveterminal and a capacitor negative terminal, and the at least onecapacitor assembly forms a capacitor area; providing at least one firstvia, at least one second via, at least one third via and at least onefourth via, wherein the first via is electrically connected to theswitching positive terminal, the second via is electrically connected tothe switching negative terminal, the third via is electrically connectedto the capacitor positive terminal, and the fourth via is electricallyconnected to the capacitor negative terminal, wherein the positivecopper layers are electrically connected to the first via and the thirdvia, and the negative copper layers are electrically connected to thesecond via and the fourth via; wherein projections of the adjacentpositive and negative copper layers and the capacitor area on the firstsurface at least partially overlap with each other.

The above contents of the present invention will become more readilyapparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing thefollowing detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a power convertermodule according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view illustrating the power converter moduleaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view illustrating the power converter moduleaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view illustrating the power converter moduleaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the second surface of the powerconverter module according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic equivalent circuit diagram illustrating the powerconverter module of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view illustrating the power converter moduleaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present disclosure will now be described more specifically withreference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that thefollowing descriptions of preferred embodiments of this disclosure arepresented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It isnot intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise formdisclosed.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a power convertermodule according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 isan exploded view illustrating the power converter module according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic sideview illustrating the power converter module according to the embodimentof the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view illustratingthe power converter module according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4 , the power convertermodule 1 includes a multilayer printed circuit board 10, at least oneswitching device 101, at least one capacitor device 102, at least onemagnetic core element 103 and at least one winding via 105. Themultilayer printed circuit board 10 has a first surface 11, a secondsurface 12 and an inside layer 14. The first surface 11 and the secondsurface 12 are opposite, and the multilayer printed circuit board 10includes a plurality of copper layers L1 to L8. The switching device 101is disposed on the first surface 11 of the multilayer printed circuitboard 10. The magnetic core element 103 is disposed in the inside layer14 of the multilayer printed circuit board 10, and the magnetic coreelement 103 has at least one hole 104. A first end of the winding via105 is electrically connected to the switching device 101, and a secondend of the winding via 105 is electrically connected to the secondsurface 12 of the multilayer printed circuit board 10. The winding via105 penetrates through the hole 104 of the magnetic core element 103 andforms a magnetic assembly with the magnetic core element 103. Thewinding via 105 is electrically connected to all or a part of the copperlayers L1 to L8. The capacitor device 102 is disposed on the firstsurface 11 of the multilayer printed circuit board 10. The capacitordevice 102 includes at least one capacitor, and the capacitor is aninput capacitor or an output capacitor. In an embodiment, the windingvia 105 is a straight hole or a stepped hole, more specifically, thewinding via 105 may have a straight structure or a partially bentstructure. The amount of the copper layers on a first side of themagnetic core element 103 close to the first surface 11 of themultilayer printed circuit board 10 is at least two more than the amountof the copper layers on a second side of the magnetic core element 103.In an embodiment, the amount of the copper layers on the first side ofthe magnetic core element 103 close to the first surface 11 of themultilayer printed circuit board 10 is at least three more than theamount of the copper layers on the second side of the magnetic coreelement 103. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the multilayer printed circuitboard 10 includes eight copper layers L1 to L8 and eight dielectriclayers PP. The dielectric layer PP is disposed between the two adjacentcopper layers, however, the actual amount of the layers of themultilayer printed circuit board 10 is not limited thereto. In anembodiment, the magnetic core element 103 is disposed between the copperlayers L7 and L8 of the multilayer printed circuit board 10. As aresult, the amount of the copper layers L1 to L7 on the first side ofthe magnetic core element 103 close to the first surface 11 of themultilayer printed circuit board 10 is more than the amount of thecopper layer L8 on the other second side of the magnetic core element103, and the copper layers L1 to L7 can have a larger wiring area and alarger copper laying area. Since the amount of the copper layers on oneside of the magnetic core element 103 is more than the amount of thecopper layers on the other side of the magnetic core element 103 (e.g.,by two), a larger amount of copper layers concentrated on one side ofthe magnetic core element 103 can be used to obtain a larger wiring areaand a larger copper laying area. Accordingly, enough space for wiring isprovided to avoid the strong electromagnetic field interference causedby the power loop. Moreover, the flexibility of the copper layingnetwork is increased, and the parasitic resistance and parasiticinductance of the multilayer printed circuit board are reduced, therebyimproving the efficiency of power converter module.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the second surface of the powerconverter module according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 , the power converter module 1further includes at least one pad 13, and the at least one pad 13 isdisposed on the second surface 12 of the multilayer printed circuitboard 10. The pad 13 is a copper block pin or the surface copper skin ofthe multilayer printed circuit board 10. The pad 13 is fixed on thesecond surface 12, and the second end of the winding via 105 iselectrically connected to the pad 13.

FIG. 6 is a schematic equivalent circuit diagram illustrating the powerconverter module of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6 , thecapacitor device 102 includes an input capacitor Cin and an outputcapacitor Co, the magnetic assembly is an inductor Lo, and the windingvia 105 is served as the winding of the inductor Lo. The switchingdevice 101 includes at least one upper switch 1010 and at least onelower switch 1011 electrically connected to each other. The upper switch1010 and the lower switch 1011 can be, for example, MOSFET (Metal OxideSemiconductor Field Effect Transistor), but not limited thereto. A nodeSW is formed between the upper switch 1010 and the lower switch 1011,the node SW is electrically connected to the inductor Lo, and the nodeSW is electrically connected to the first end of the winding via 105. Anend of the input capacitor Cin is electrically connected to the upperswitch 1010 to form a positive input Vin+, the other end of the inputcapacitor Cin is electrically connected to the lower switch 1011 to forma negative input Vin−. Two ends of the output capacitor Co are connectedto the inductor Lo and lower switch 1011, respectively. In anembodiment, the inductor Lo is regarded as the magnetic assembly of theabove embodiment and is disposed in the inside layer 14 of themultilayer printed circuit board 10. The projections of the inductor Loand the switching device 101 on the first surface 11 at least partiallyoverlap with each other. The inductor Lo is electrically connected tothe positive output Vo+ of the power converter module 1, and thepositive output Vo+ is disposed on the second surface 12 of themultilayer printed circuit board 10. It is noted that only single-phasehalf-bridge branch is shown in FIG. 6 , however, the actual powerconverter module may include multiple-phase half-bridge branchesconnected in parallel.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view illustrating the power converter moduleaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The elementsof FIG. 7 that are similar with those of FIG. 4 are represented by thesame reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof is omittedherein. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 , the plurality of copperlayers include a plurality of positive copper layers and a plurality ofnegative copper layers, and the plurality of positive copper layers andthe plurality of negative copper layers are disposed in staggeredarrangement. In an embodiment, the positive copper layers include copperlayers L3, L5, and L7, and the negative copper layers include copperlayers L2, L4, and L6. The switching device 101 has a switching positiveterminal 101 a and a switching negative terminal 101 b. The capacitordevice 102 has a capacitor positive terminal 102 a and a capacitornegative terminal 102 b. The capacitor device 102 is disposed on thefirst surface 11 and is adjacent to the switching device 101, and thecapacitor device 102 forms a capacitor area. The power converter module1 further includes a first via 106, a second via 107, a third via 108and a fourth via 109. The first via 106 is electrically connected to theswitching positive terminal 101 a, the second via 107 is electricallyconnected to the switching negative terminal 101 b, the third via 108 iselectrically connected to the capacitor positive terminal 102 a, and thefourth via 109 is electrically connected to the capacitor negativeterminal 102 b. The first via 106 and the third via 108 are electricallyconnected to a part of the copper layer L1 (i.e., the part of the copperlayer L1 that is electrically connected to the switching positiveterminal 101 a and the capacitor positive terminal 102 a), the copperlayers L3, L5, L7, and a part of the copper layer L8 (i.e., the part ofthe copper layer L8 that is electrically connected to the positive inputVin+). The second via 107 and the fourth via 109 are electricallyconnected to a part of the copper layer L1 (i.e., the part of the copperlayer L1 that is electrically connected to the switching negativeterminal 101 b and the capacitor negative terminal 102 b), the copperlayers L2, L4, L6, and a part of the copper layer L8 (i.e., the part ofthe copper layer L8 that is electrically connected to the negative inputVin−). The positive copper layers and the negative copper layers aredisposed in staggered arrangement. The first via 106 and the third via108 are electrically connected to the positive input Vin+, and thesecond via 107 and the fourth via 109 are electrically connected to thenegative input Vin−. The positive input Vin+ and the negative input Vin−are disposed on the second surface 12 of the multilayer printed circuitboard 10. The arrow line in FIG. 7 represents the direction of the ACcurrent of this embodiment. The AC current loop of this embodiment isexemplified as follows. Taking the capacitor positive terminal 102 a ofthe capacitor device 102 as a starting point, the AC current flowsthrough the third via 108 and each positive copper layer, and then flowsinto the switching positive terminal 101 a of the switching device 101through the first via 106. Taking the switching negative terminal 101 bof the switching device 101 as a starting point, the AC current flowsthrough the second via 107 and each negative copper layer, and thenflows into the capacitor negative terminal 102 b of the capacitor device102 through the fourth via 109. The direction of the AC current flowingthrough the positive copper layer is opposite to the direction of the ACcurrent flowing through the adjacent negative copper layer. Theoverlapping parts of the first and third vias 106 and 108 and the copperlayer L2, L4, and L6 shown in FIG. 7 only represent the front-to-rearrelationship between the via and the copper layer under this viewingangle condition, rather than the actual connection. Similarly, theoverlapping parts of the second and fourth vias 107 and 109 and thecopper layers L3, L5, and L7 only represent the front-to-rearrelationship between the via and the copper layer under this viewingangle condition, rather than the actual connection. The AC currentflowing through the adjacent copper layers are in opposite directions sothat the AC magnetic fluxes between the adjacent copper layers canceleach other out, thereby reducing the parasitic inductance of the currentloop. Consequently, the conversion efficiency of the power conversionmodule is improved.

In addition, the power converter module 1 further includes a dielectriclayer PP, and the dielectric layer PP is disposed between two adjacentcopper layers. The projections of the adjacent positive and negativecopper layers and the capacitor area on the first surface 11 at leastpartially overlap with each other, thereby reducing the parasiticinductance of wiring and reducing the parasitic loss. Therefore, theconversion efficiency of the power converter module 1 is improved. In anembodiment, the first via 106, the second via 107, the third via 108,and the fourth via 109 are straight holes or stepped holes.

In an embodiment, a part of the copper layer L8 is electricallyconnected to the positive output of the power converter 1, and a part ofthe copper layer L8 is electrically connected to the negative output ofthe power converter module 1.

In an embodiment, when the amount of the positive copper layer on theside of the magnetic core element 103 is one, and the amount of thenegative copper layer is also one, the amount of the copper layers onone side of the magnetic core element 103 is two more than the amount ofthe copper layers on the other side of the magnetic core element 103.

It should be noted that the side view shown in FIG. 4 focuses on showingthe position and connection relationships of the copper layers, themagnetic core element and the corresponding winding via. The side viewshown in FIG. 7 focuses on showing the electrical connections of thepositive and negative copper layers, the switching device and thecapacitor device. In fact, the structures shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 can beimplemented in different power converter modules or in the same powerconverter module.

From the above descriptions, the present application provides a powerconverter module. The amount of the copper layers on one side of themagnetic core element is more than the amount of the copper layers onthe other side of the magnetic core element. Therefore, a larger amountof copper layers concentrated on one side of the magnetic core elementcan be used to obtain a larger wiring area and a larger copper layingarea. Accordingly, enough space for wiring is provided to avoid thestrong electromagnetic field interference caused by the power loop.Moreover, the flexibility of the copper laying network is increased, andthe parasitic resistance and parasitic inductance of the multilayerprinted circuit board are reduced, thereby improving the efficiency ofpower converter module. The present application provides a powerconverter module, by staggering the plurality of positive copper layersand the plurality of negative copper layers, and the plurality ofpositive copper layers and the plurality of negative copper layers areelectrically connected to the corresponding switching positive andnegative terminals, the capacitor positive and negative terminals, and aplurality of vias respectively. The projections of the adjacent positiveand negative copper layers and the capacitor area on the first surfaceat least partially overlap with each other, thereby reducing theparasitic inductance of the wiring and reducing the parasitic loss.Therefore, the conversion efficiency of the power conversion module isimproved.

While the disclosure has been described in terms of what is presentlyconsidered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is tobe understood that the disclosure needs not be limited to the disclosedembodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover variousmodifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similarstructures.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a substrate, whereinthe substrate has a first surface and a second surface, the firstsurface and the second surface are opposite, the substrate comprises aplurality of copper layers, the plurality of copper layers comprises Mpositive copper layers and N negative copper layers, and the positivecopper layers and the negative copper layers are alternated, wherein Mis equal to or greater than one, N is equal to or greater than one, andthe sum of M and N is equal to or greater than three; at least oneswitching device disposed on the first surface of the substrate, whereinthe switching device comprises a switching positive terminal and aswitching negative terminal; at least one capacitor assembly disposed onthe first surface of the substrate, wherein the capacitor assemblycomprises a capacitor positive terminal and a capacitor negativeterminal, and the at least one capacitor assembly forms a capacitorarea; at least one first via, at least one second via, at least onethird via and at least one fourth via, wherein the first via iselectrically connected to the switching positive terminal, the secondvia is electrically connected to the switching negative terminal, thethird via is electrically connected to the capacitor positive terminal,and the fourth via is electrically connected to the capacitor negativeterminal, wherein the positive copper layers are electrically connectedto the first via and the third via, and the negative copper layers areelectrically connected to the second via and the fourth via; whereinprojections of the adjacent positive and negative copper layers and thecapacitor area on the first surface at least partially overlap with eachother.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a direction of acurrent flowing through each of the positive copper layers is oppositeto a direction of a current flowing through the adjacent negative copperlayer.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switchingdevice comprises an upper switch and a lower switch electricallyconnected to each other, wherein a junction node is formed between theupper switch and the lower switch, and the at least one switching deviceis adjacent to the at least one capacitor assembly on the first surfaceof the substrate.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein thejunction node is electrically connected to at least one inductor,projections of the inductor and the switching device on the firstsurface at least partially overlap with each other, the inductor iselectrically connected to a positive output of the apparatus, and thepositive output is disposed on the second surface of the substrate. 5.The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a magnetic core element ofthe inductor is disposed in an inside layer of the substrate, and anamount of a part of the plurality of copper layers on a first side ofthe magnetic core element close to the first surface of the substrate isat least two more than an amount of a part of the plurality of copperlayers on a second side of the magnetic core element.
 6. The apparatusaccording to claim 4, wherein the substrate further comprises a windingvia, the winding via is served as a winding of the inductor.
 7. Theapparatus according to claim 6, wherein the winding via is a straighthole.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first via andthe third via are electrically connected to a positive input of theapparatus, and the second via and the fourth via are electricallyconnected to a negative input of the apparatus.
 9. The apparatusaccording to claim 8, wherein the positive input and the negative inputare disposed on the second surface of the substrate.
 10. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the first via, the second via, the thirdvia and the fourth via are straight holes or stepped holes.
 11. A methodof manufacturing an apparatus, the method comprising: providing asubstrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to eachother, wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of copper layers, theplurality of copper layers comprises M positive copper layers and Nnegative copper layers, and the positive copper layers and the negativecopper layers are alternated, wherein M is equal to or greater than one,N is equal to or greater than one, and the sum of M and N is equal to orgreater than three; providing at least one switching device disposed onthe first surface of the substrate, wherein the switching devicecomprises a switching positive terminal and a switching negativeterminal; providing at least one capacitor assembly disposed on thefirst surface of the substrate, wherein the capacitor assembly comprisesa capacitor positive terminal and a capacitor negative terminal, and theat least one capacitor assembly forms a capacitor area; providing atleast one first via, at least one second via, at least one third via andat least one fourth via, wherein the first via is electrically connectedto the switching positive terminal, the second via is electricallyconnected to the switching negative terminal, the third via iselectrically connected to the capacitor positive terminal, and thefourth via is electrically connected to the capacitor negative terminal,wherein the positive copper layers are electrically connected to thefirst via and the third via, and the negative copper layers areelectrically connected to the second via and the fourth via; whereinprojections of the adjacent positive and negative copper layers and thecapacitor area on the first surface at least partially overlap with eachother.
 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least oneswitching device is adjacent to the at least one capacitor assembly onthe first surface of the substrate.
 13. The method according to claim12, wherein projections of the inductor and the switching device on thefirst surface at least partially overlap with each other, the inductoris electrically connected to a positive output of the apparatus, and thepositive output is disposed on the second surface of the substrate. 14.The method according to claim 13, wherein a magnetic core element of theinductor is disposed in an inside layer of the substrate, and an amountof a part of the plurality of copper layers on a first side of themagnetic core element close to the first surface of the substrate is atleast two more than an amount of a part of the plurality of copperlayers on a second side of the magnetic core element.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 13, further comprising: providing a winding via inthe substrate, wherein the winding via is served as a winding of theinductor, and the winding via is a straight hole.
 16. The methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the first via and the third via areelectrically connected to a positive input of the apparatus, and thesecond via and the fourth via are electrically connected to a negativeinput of the apparatus.
 17. The method according to claim 16, whereinthe positive input and the negative input are disposed on the secondsurface of the substrate.
 18. The method according to claim 11, whereinthe first via, the second via, the third via and the fourth via arestraight holes or stepped holes.